Sunday, September 30, 2012

The review itself isn't limited, I finished the review and I plan on keeping it up forever. The Lacta "Caramel Cream and Liquid Caramel" is however a "Limited Edition" candy bar. This happens a lot in the candy world, and it makes me very unhappy. I find that these limited edition bars fall into two categories, they're either really limited and only available for a short time, or they're a bar that they're not sure about, want to test, and might stay but might not. In both cases I think the candy company isn't being fair to the candy consumer. If it's a limited edition and it's going to leave us forever, what do we do if we actually enjoy it? If the candy company is simply testing the market, why can't they be honest about it instead of lying?

Saturday, September 29, 2012

It's been a fun week of sampling some new and very unique treats. The wonderful world of Asian candy still has a great deal to deliver, and I plan on eating as much as I can. Also, if you have an idea for a future review-a-thon, I'd love to hear it, mostly because I'm starting to run out of ideas.

I'm always really happy when a candy company decides to do something a little different. I particularly like it when they do something different, but it's based on a really great idea. Potato chips and chocolate make a wonderful combination, if you've never tried it, you're seriously missing out. I was super excited about trying a chocolate bar that had potato chip in it, my excitement died after the first bite.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

While buying some candy for an event last week, I came across a bag of lollipops. I probably would have ignored these lollipops completely, and went straight for the mini chocolate bars, had it not been for this little lollipop.

There is something wonderfully demented about this little bunny on the lollipop and I couldn't resist buying the whole bag. Needless to say there were other strange and demented characters in the bag of lollipops, but none as disturbing as this little guy. Maybe one day I'll write a story about Mr Hoppy's adventures, and how he ate the wrong kind of mushroom.

The biggest challenge one has with getting a photo of one "stuffing his face" with a banana is to avoid making it look obscene. Sure it's kind of gross, but watching someone eat is always kind of gross, that's kind of the point of these posts. On the subject of bananas, there seems to be a bit of a debate about the health qualities of this fruit. Some argue that the potassium and vitamins found in a banana make it one of the healthiest fruits out there. Others argue that although it does contain these nutrients, the sugar level is very high and therefore not that great for you. I think banana's are tasty, so that's enough for me.

The idea of sleeping in a giant bag of marshmallows sounds pretty dam sweet. These sleeping bags would make for the greatest camping experience ever... until the local bear population caught your scent.

Texture is one of those things that you never really notice, unless it's really good or really bad. Some candy companies advertise texture as being the key to their treat, a "crunchy" cookie center, "smooth" chocolate center, "hard" candy shell. But I still find that most candy consumers don't really give texture much thought. Even when I write a review, I have to really give the texture of what I'm eating a little concentration.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog. This week I'm posting an article written by Tedd, a fan of Candy Critic, and man who served overseas in the military.

Late in 1990 I was a Combat Medic in Desert Storm. Sleeping in a tent in the middle of the desert, sand in places I don't even want to mention, dealing with heat that I never thought possible during the day and freezing temperatures at night. Always wondering what that bang was or what that glint of light was coming from across the dunes. Was that a mirage or an enemy truck?

Things weren't all bad while I was there, however. I was with fellow soldiers, we played lots of card games, Nintendo sent us a bunch of Gameboys, Chef Boyardee sent a bunch of their goodness. The company I remember most was Hershey's. Chocolate and the military have had a long and fruitful relationship and Hershey's didn't forget this.

You see, in the United States of America, the production of chocolate proceeded at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world. It was in pre-revolutionary New England — 1765 to be exact — that the first chocolate factory was established in this country. During World War II, the U.S. government recognized chocolate’s role in the nourishment and group spirit of the Allied Armed Forces, so much that it allocated valuable shipping space for the importing of cocoa beans. Many soldiers were thankful for the chocolate bars, which gave them the energy to carry on until more food rations could be obtained. Today, the U.S. Army’s "Meals Ready to Eat" contain chocolate bars and chocolate candies, and chocolate has been taken into space as part of the diet of U.S. astronauts.

What Hershey's sent to Desert Storm were 144,000 bite-sized chocolate bars, wrapped in nifty desert camouflage wrappings and specially formulated to withstand temperatures of over 100 degrees F. I remember getting up out of my cot one morning and going to the tent we had set up to take care of sick and injured soldiers. There, I saw a box that I originally thought was just another makeshift desk drawer. It had Hershey's printed on it, and when I looked inside, imagine my delight when I saw those mouth-watering, bite-sized packages of choco goodness. I felt like it was Christmas! I immediately dug in and grabbed a few, laid them on the table, unwrapped one, and popped it into my mouth.

What does a chocolate candy bar that doesn't melt in 100 degrees taste like? VERY GOOD! I remember it was a bit harder than other candy bars I have eaten, and it didn't melt in my mouth, but the taste was very close to the Hershey's we all know and love. After coming down off of my chocolate high, I decided to test the heat resistance and stuck a few in my pocket...ok, pockets. Throughout the day and several days thereafter, I and the other soldiers of my unit used them as "chips" for card games - those that we didn't eat before we got them on the card table. In a town nearby they were a treat for the children that lit up their faces like the sun.

Hershey's knows how to support the military and I thank them for their contribution to the Desert Storm conflict. They, and other companies, raised the morale of all the military while away from home and family. It was, and still is, nice to see that the military is appreciated to the point that companies like Hershey's are willing to go that extra step to let our guys and gals know they are appreciated.

I labeled this review "Salted Plum Flavoured Crunch Sticks", and although that would make a great name for this treat, it's not really what it's called. As happens every in many review-a-thons from countries where I can't read the writing, I get stuck. I have no idea what this treat is really called, so I just made up a name. As much as I'd like to research the names of every treat I can't read, I'm not really sure where to start in this case. All I can do is hope some gracious reader that can read this package will send me the name of it and I'll update the review... Hint, hint.

While posting today's review I realized something very interesting about the word "Choco". This is a word used very often when a candy company wants something to have a chocolaty taste, but may not actually contain that much chocolate. I'm finding more and more treats with clever names, one of the best is "Froot Loops". I don't think this is always the case, I think sometimes candy companies use Choco, or other short forms because it's creative. I just think that it's also a way to get through a legal loop hole when it comes to branding your product.

Monday, September 24, 2012

First and foremost this week we have an Asian review-a-thon going on. I'm pretty sure that Asian review-a-thons have been the most common review-a-thon we've had on Candy Critic. I think I get excited whenever I come across a stash of Asian treats, and I just can't wait to share it with whole world. So every day this week you're going to find a new review from Asia posted on the blog and on Candy Critic.

Next week we're going to be starting a new series on the blog, all about spreads. I'm talking about the stuff you put on bread. Every day for more than a month we'll be featuring a new spread, with a photo and a quick little description. These photos come from our sister site bewarethecheese.com, and in particular they're featured on a new awesome art piece they've created called "Between Slices".

Well I've got to go now, I've got some strawberry ice cream with Nutella to eat.

I get the feeling that many Candy/Asian food fans are going to give me grief about today's review. I'm sure most people will tell me that there's no way that this treat is "candy". You might be right, depending on what you define as candy. Some might argue that today's review is more of a snack food than a candy. I guess my definition of candy is a little broader than some.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Whenever people ask me where the greatest candies are made, I always tell them it all depends on what you're looking for in a candy. If you're looking for originality, creativity, and strangeness, than Asia is really the place you should be looking. All this week we'll be reviewing strange and wonderful treats from Asia, and I'm sure we'll be wondering how we got ourselves into this mess.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Last night's art show for our sister site bewarethecheese.com was a great success, and we have some great news.

The folks at the Finnish Institute (the folks that hosted the show) were so happy that they asked them if I would keep some of the pieces on display in their library for a while longer. Considering how beautiful their establishment is, they couldn't refuse. So much of the work will remain on display for two more weeks at the Finnish Institute at Athens in their library. The Institutes hours are from 9 am to 2 pm (however they often stay open later, call them to make sure) weekdays.

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog. This week I'm posting an old article that was a challenge to any and all chip companies.

Here's an interesting little discovery I made. I just bought a bag of chips and when I opened it, I found that most of the chips in the bag were all broken. It really ticked me off, for what reason I'm really not sure since I still got the right amount of chips in my bag. Why are perfectly shaped chips so important to us? What's wrong with the little ones? Well back to the original thought. I continued to eat my busted chips, when I noticed that as I ate more they started to get bigger and bigger. At the top of my bag they seem fine. Then I noticed, I opened the bag upside down, and as we all know the little chips sink to the bottom.

This made me wonder. When they bag chips are the all perfectly cut? I mean if I was to get a bag right off the line, would I be able to eat perfect chips all the way through. Is it that or do they purposefully mix it up a little. Do they add their busted chips to the whole ones just to save a few bucks. I don't blame them, I mean its not that big a deal to save a little money and its not like the chips are bad if they're small. So here's my challenge or question. If any chip company is out there and they can answer my question with proof, I'll give them a mention on the site. The proof I need, well, the perfect bag of un-broken potato chips.

Monday, September 17, 2012

I've started to notice that Halloween is approaching. I'm not sure what's triggered this thought in my mind, the cooler weather, back to school sales, or the fact that candy stores are already starting up with a "fall" theme. The strange thing about Halloween is that it's really not that well known all over the world. It's gaining popularity though, at least parts of it are. I haven't seen trick or treaters here in Greece, but the amount of Halloween themed candy in greatly increasing.

Next week I'm planing to have a review-a-thon. It's been a long while, and I think an Asian themed review-a-thon is a great idea. I know I've done them before, but Asian treats are really fun to review, and they're so unique. If you happen to think of any other review-a-thon ideas let me know and we'll try them out.

Well I've got a busy week ahead of me, full of photographing, writing, and eating candy of coarse. If you'd like to drop us a line and say hello you can contact us on Twitter, Facebook, or just leave us a note here.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Why is it when a candy is presented as a white fluffy looking ball, it looks so tasty, but often disappoints. They look so delicate, like there's something so subtle and almost cute about them, but inevitably something's wrong. It's rarely the texture as well, it's most often a flavour imbalance. Maybe, since you see a light treat, and often these treats are also light in texture, when you have a flavour that is any short of very subtle, your mind does flip flops.

Friday, September 14, 2012

"Sugar free" is probably the longest trending health fad in the candy business. Don't get me wrong, I understand that some people have medical conditions and they have to be very careful about how much sugar they eat. Since I don't presently have a medical condition that requires me to worry that much, and since I eat sweets in moderation anyways, I tend to seek out the sugar filled versions of treats.

The question is, can there be a time when the Sugar Free version is as good or better than the sugar filled version? I've decided to start searching for this answer. I know that many treats make a sugar free version of their candies, so I think it's going to take a bit of experimentation. I also realize that no candy company, as far as I know, has ever claimed that their sugar free version is as good or better than the original. For my first taste test, I'm going to try out Luden's Wild Cherry Cough Drops. Since people that don't eat sugar get coughs too, it's nice that they make a sugar free version as well.

Sugar Included: I actually like cherry cough drops, I enjoy the taste. I also think that the flavour reminds me of being sick and getting a candy to suck on to make me feel better. The cherry flavour of these Luden's cough drops is pretty good. It's not super authentic, like real cherrie, but it's got that classic cherry flavour. The thing that actually makes it taste less like real cherries is the fact that it's overly sweet, so I wonder if the sugar free version will taste more like real cherries?

Sugar Free: While these is a distinct difference in the flavour at first, after a little while it really settles into a very similar taste. If I had to describe the difference, I'd say that the sugar free cough drops don't have as deep a flavour. It's as if they taste a little lighter than the sugar included cough drops with maybe a little more tang. On a flavour level they're pretty much on par. Good job Luden's, you made two treats, a little different, but still tasty.

While I'm not sure exactly what kind of cream is in a Boston cream donut, I think it might qualify as the most popular cream filled donut. Some day I hope to eat a Boston cream donut in Boston, but I wonder what they call them there?

Speaking of deep fried foods, did you know that the deep fried Mars Bar originated in the UK? Well the place that invented them is having a legal problem with Mars right now, let's hope it all works out.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Opaque Corn Gummy - ? - The idea of eating corn flavoured gummies appeals to me, it's probably gross but I'm very curious. - Click here to learn more about this treat. (I'd like to thank Psychedelic Bike for pointing these out to me)

Have you ever eaten a hamburger when you weren't hungry. You're out and about and it's getting close to dinner, you know you have nothing at home ready to eat, so you think a burgers a good idea. You're not hungry yet, but if you go home, you know you won't be interested in going back out to get a burger, because you're kind of lazy. So the only choice is to get the burger, bring it back home, stall for as long as you can, but eventually eat that burger because you have to.

After learning about the new Candy Corn Oreos I started to crave Oreos. While I'm happy with just about any variety of Oreo, double stuff, regular, maybe even the new Candy Corn. Allison has one variety that she love more than any other, Uh Oh Oreos. There were Oreos that were made backwards, with white cookies and chocolate centers. Since they don't appear to make them anymore, Allison becomes sad every time I mention Oreo cookies, and pines for the days of the Uh Oh Oreo... If the folks at Nabisco are reading this and you want to make a girls day, send me some Uh Oh Oreos please.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog. This week I'm posting an article I wrote when I learned about freezing a Charleston Chew.

People are very passionate about their favourite treats. I get e-mail after e-mail about treats I've reviewed, particularly if people disagree with my opinion. I've even been vilified on other web sites, because someone disagreed with my opinion on a particular candy. For the most part I don't really react. If you e-mail me, I'll respond to your comment but I'll never change a review. Then one day I got an interesting e-mail that changed my mind on this subject, it was all about my "Charleston Chew" review. I was told that I had not tried the bar in it's optimal way, and I must tell you the letter was very passionate. My review will never change, it say's nothing on the package about saying it has to be eaten frozen, but it does recommend trying it. With a passionate e-mail and a suggestion from the creators, I figured I should taste a frozen and smashed Charleston Chew. Then I thought why not try it both ways and do a comparative review of each, this way we can truly know if their that much better frozen or if your wasting time and energy freezing these treats. So here is a Charleston Chew frozen VS and Charleston Chew room temperature...

First - Room Temperature:

This bar is full of chocolaty fun. The taffy is different since it's a little fluffier than most taffies, its not bad, just different. The chocolate on the outside is a nice touch, even though its milk chocolate on chocolate taffy its still not too overpowering. Honestly every time I bite into one of these things I expect my teeth to be all sticky, and think I'm going to be fighting with it just to get a bite out of it, but with the whipped-type taffy it's never like that. As I said in my review, this bar's fine it's just not spectacular.

Second - Frozen:

Wow, I have to say I'm impressed. The Charleston Chew is a different kind of treat when you eat it frozen. Well, it is for a bit, eventually after chewing it for a while it does turn back into the warm version of itself, but it starts out really nice. It reminds me a little of Astronauts Ice Cream, those not lucky enough to try this snack should go and join your local astronaut camp or whatever you call it when you become a space man/woman. The one thing I truly liked about this snack is the fact that the flavour was a little more subtle when it was frozen. It builds up to a bigger flavour as you chew, but at first it's a nice subtle chocolate flavour. If they could some how freeze dry this bars, I really think it would be an improvement!

A group of awesome bakers made what I can only describe as the tastiest looking evil cake ever made. It's life sized, and is the only opportunity one might have to de-mask Darth and take a bite. I'm a little disappointed that the cake isn't dark chocolate, but you can't have everything.

Monday, September 10, 2012

As you might have read in this weeks new review, I recently made a trip to IKEA to pick up some sweets. Yes, to get some sweets in the only reason I went to IKEA, I didn't even go up to the furniture part. I really wanted to check out the sweets because I had learned that IKEA no longer carries a variety of Swedish foods, only their own brand. While I've sampled a few (such as this weeks review) and I'm not horribly disappointed with the quality, I am sad about the lack of variety. Sweden is a great foodie paradise, and it's only expanding and improving. For IKEA, a great place for the world to explore this great land, to limit the range of foods available like this is a blow to the Swedish culinary world.

On another note, our sister site, bewarethecheese.com is having an art showing on Thursday September 20th 7:30 pm at the Finnish Institute at Athens. I'll be there to show off my art, and I think I'll bring a bag of treats to share as well, but it's first come first serve. If you want more info on the show, check out the Facebook event here.

Sunday, September 09, 2012

Have you noticed that more and more stores are selling confections? IKEA has been selling them for a while now, but I've been to department store lingerie sections (I'm not a pervert, I am married) and at the cash register I've seen chocolate for sale. I've also been to electronics stores with a selection of Japanese candies.

Thursday, September 06, 2012

I came across this great article all about crazy advertising for products. These ads are pretty off the mark as far as health goes, but it makes you think. If they're so far off now, but at the time seemed OK, then what about the advertising we see today?

I personally don't understand why people would want to ruin ice cream by adding coffee to it, but who am I to judge. I guess I could see merit in coffee ice cream if it also gave you a boost of caffeine as well, but for me the coffee flavour just doesn't work in ice cream form.

Wednesday, September 05, 2012

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog. This week and next, I'm posting an old article I wrote where I invited a few friends of mine to participate in some of the trials and tribulations I go through when I'm doing a review.

Let me guess, you want to write me an e-mail and tell me how much you would love to do what I do, how cool it would be to eat all this candy and try treats only some people could imagine. Well for the most part your right, this is not a bad racket, but with the good comes the bad. The bad in this case is the awesome risk you take biting into something that you can't even read the package, or eating something with a character on it that would be better off dead than the state he's in. You're not the only people who want to be Candy Critics, my "real friends" tell me this all the time. They tell me how much they would love to do a review, and how great it must be. Sometimes I let my friends review treats with me and they always want to review their already favourite treats, they never go out on a limb.

Revenge is a dish better served cold, man that's a dumb expression, but it works. So today I'm calling some of my buddies out and the challenge will begin. This is how it works. Each contestant/reviewer picks the name of a candy out of a hat. Then they must eat the treat and write a single sentence about what's going through their minds. If a contestant refuses a candy or spits it out before their next turn, they are out and will forever be branded a 'wuss'. So let the game begin...

Contestants:

Morgan

What can I say about Morgan... He keeps telling me that he doesn't eat that many sweets, but he's the first to grab any new treats I might offer. Why do I think he's great for this contest. Well he's got an opinion, and for the love of god he'll let everybody know it. Morgan's opinion is not always mine, but I'm guaranteed that it's logical, because he's a very thorough thinker.

Sam

Sam is a contestant because he fits the bill of the classic Candy Critic wannabe. He tells me how much he would love to eat candy like I do, and he even asked to do a review. Just like the many other people that ask to do reviews he asked to do a review of his favourite treat (the Mr.Big). So here you go Sam now your doing what I do, see how you like it.

Frank

Frank was a late entry into this contest but he is a sure fire candy fanatic. Why did I ask him to participate? Well, Frank's a good guy and to be honest he was around, so I thought he would make a perfect contestant.

Chris (That's me by the way)

At first I thought I would not participate in this game, only because I have nothing to prove. I know I can taste odd candies, and I've proven it over and over again. What changed my mind? Well these guys accused me of wimping out and I am no wimp.

Round 6:

Morgan - Harry Potter Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean

"Wants to be fruity (orange) but is bland."

Sam - Asian Grape Gummy

"Good thing I got it again... cuz I forgot to write about it last round... It's good! (Frank got another Torture Scorcher)."

Frank - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"(tangerine) Scorch varies from piece to piece."

Chris - Asian Grape Gummy

"Still Grapey."

Round 7:

Morgan - Harry Potter Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean

"Lemony

- Ends blandly"

Sam - Altoids Tangerine Sours

"First it's like a tiny tangerine in my mouth... Then it's like, really sour for a couple of seconds... Then it returns to a tangerine flavour."

Frank - Harry Potter Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean

"A nice little jujube, grapefruit rocks! Flavourful."

Chris - I Love Lucy "Predicamints"

"My breath is already to dam fresh."

Round 8:

Morgan - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"Raspberry

- This Time

- Very spicy right away stays spicy."

Sam - Cadbury Choc Shocks

"Still rockin' and poppin'... Could do without the popping part."

Frank - Cadbury Choc Shocks

"Didn't fizz much."

Chris - I Love Lucy "Predicamints"

"Why god why?"

Round 9:

Morgan - Altoids Tangerine Sours

"Lightly sour with orange hint."

Sam - Cadbury Choc Shocks

"I swallowed it fast... and now my throat is tingly."

Frank - Asian Grape Gummy

"Been there done that, but nice grape flavour."

Chris - Thrills Gum

"Of all the candies this was one I normally don't like and guess what? I still don't like them now."

Round 10:

Morgan - Japanese Yogurt Chew

"Fruit Chew again

- doesn't know what favor it wants to be."

Sam - Warheads Sour Spray "Grape"

"It hits me like an elementary school memory... Something really synthetic about it besides being really sour... no real taste."

Frank - I Love Lucy "Predicamints"

"A good but typical mint, cool."

Chris - Warheads Sour Spray "Grape"

"Too much mint and spray is making my eyes water, so cold."

Well I guess I have to admit my buddies are not wussy at all, and I guess they can take some of the heat. You think you can take it, well maybe next year I'll try it again, you could even be a contestant, but you never know what I might pull out of my hat.

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

After finishing my box of Fitness Red Fruits (not the most creative name for a cereal ever) I noticed that the package seems to be implicating something by the placement of a strawberry. It's not that most "healthy" cereals don't already cover their boxes with images of "healthy" women, this one seems to be attempting the sexy angle a little harder than most.

Maybe it's just because I'm a guy, but that bottom strawberry seems to be particularly placed to give this box some added sex appeal. Am I just seeing things?

Monday, September 03, 2012

I could really go for a slice of cake right now. I have to be honest, I've never really made a cake before in my life that didn't come out of a box. That's not to say I've never baked, in fact I think I've become a pretty good baker, I even enjoy making bread. I've made a banana bread in the past, and that's kind of cake like, but it didn't have layers, or chocolate, so maybe it's not really cake. Not sure why I started This Week In Candy with my talk about cake, I guess I just want to eat some.

The summer seems to be wrapping up nicely, and after a really hot time it appears that the Midwestern United States is starting to get a little rain, but it's probably too late. Food prices are going to go up, a lot, and that means that candy prices will too. Just because the Midwest doesn't grow sugar cane or cocoa, doesn't mean that price won't escalate.

Finally, I guess I should start thinking about Halloween this year. I need to pick out a Halloween candy to review, and I'm always looking for stories you might have about your favorite candy related Halloween experiences. I know it seems early, but this holiday always seems to sneak up on me.

Sunday, September 02, 2012

I have a bone to pick with many Greek chocolate makers. Stop imitating Belgium!!! Chocolate shops are very common here in Greece, but almost all of them are exactly the same as the one you might find in Belgium. The problem is that most of them don't have the experience or quality that you might find in Belgium. So for the most part you'll find that you're eating second rate, expensive chocolates. One of the greatest exceptions to this problem is Max Perry chocolates. They produce many chocolates that are far more unique, and far more Greek. Today's review is just a sample of that, but they also produce many other chocolates that are like nothing I've tried anywhere in the whole world. Best of all, I really feel that the spirit of these chocolates is Greek.